Gharyan
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Gharyan or Garian (Arabic: غريان) is one of the municipalities of Libya. It is in the northwest of the country. Its capital is Gharyan.
About 70 miles (113km) south of Tripoli, the slopes of the Garian jebel (mountain range) rise abruptly from the desert plain to a height of over 2,700 feet (822 meters). They are a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight; bare, brown, and completely without vegetation. A well-engineered road leads to the summit, and as you look back you can see the road twisting below you among the rocks. The road takes you to the village of Garian.
[edit] Lady of Garian
Just before Garian, there is a primitive road to the right, which provides a bumpy trip to a derelict former Italian barracks, a relic of World War II. [htp://www.dougmcguinn.com/Libya/garian.htm Lady of Garian]
There is a crumbling building at the camp. Painted on the bricks of one of the walls inside the building is an enormous representation of a naked woman, lying on her side, American pin-up style. The upper torso of the woman is shaped like the North Africa coast, and the salient points of her anatomy are marked with the names of North African towns.
The "Lady of Garian" was drawn by Clifford Saber, who was a volunteer American ambulance driver with the British 8th. Army, and a gifted painter. Mr. Saber created the mural while his unit was housed for a few days at the barracks in Garian to help boost the morale of his fellow servicemen. Saber finished his mural on 2 March, 1943, and for years the "Lady of Garian," as the subject of the painting became known, was a popular tourist attraction in Libya.
[edit] See also
- Desert Rat Sketch Book site, which is a tribute to Clifford Saber.
- Pictures of Garian
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